Ukraine charges 2 top Russian military commanders amid growing Russia-Ukraine war

As the Russia-Ukraine war escalates, the Ukrainian authorities have charged two high-profile Russian military commanders with crimes related to atrocities against Ukrainian civilians.

Despite Moscow hurling waves of missile strikes against Kyiv, this is for the first time, the Ukrainian administration has decided to take such a big step. According to CNN, Colonel-General Serhii Kobylash and Admiral Igor Osipov were charged in absentia. Kyiv accused the two Russian military officials of attacking Ukrainian civilians in the midst of the Russia-Ukraine war. 

While Kobylash is the commander of the Long-Range Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Admiral Igor is the former commander of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation.

According to CNN, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on Tuesday that it had, “Collected a high-quality evidence base against two representatives of the Russian high command, who are responsible for attacking civilian facilities in Ukraine.” 

The SBU charged the two military commanders under two sections of the Ukrainian Criminal Code. The first section the two Russian Military personnel were charged with was the “planning, preparation, starting and conducting an aggressive war,” and the second section was the “encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine”. 

Russian commanders could face life imprisonment if they are convicted

In the Tuesday announcement the SBU made it clear that if the two Russian military officials are convicted by the Ukrainian court, they will most likely be in life imprisonment. The SBU stated, “During the investigation, SBU investigators found that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Serhii Kobylash has been following the instructions of Russia's top military and political leadership to destroy Ukrainian cities.”

The Ukrainian agency also accused Igor Osipov of ordering “systematic missile strikes” from the Black sea. The agency accused the Admiral of deliberately attacking the densely populated settlements. 

The move came to light after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted that Russia is planning to “exhaust” Ukraine with prolonged attacks. The Ukrainian President said that Russia is planning a “protracted campaign” of drone attacks to “demoralise Ukraine”.

In his evening address, the Ukrainian President asserted, “We must ensure - and we will do everything for this - that this goal of terrorists fails like all the others.” The Ukrainian President urged the airforce to be attentive and stated, “Now is the time when everyone involved in the protection of the sky should be especially attentive.”